


All About You

by vegetablebirb



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Hockey, Alternate Universe - Sports, Bromance, Friendship, M/M, Romantic Comedy, athletic inaccuracies, mild depictions of violence, nct athletes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28432440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vegetablebirb/pseuds/vegetablebirb
Summary: Mark sucks at playing goalie. But in his defense, he never planned on joining the hockey team. That little gremlin Yangyang roped him into it. Needless to say, the coach is unimpressed with Yangyang’s choice and tasks the team’s star player, Donghyuck, to whip their newest rookie into shape before the first game. Donghyuck is relentless, and Mark suffers accordingly.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 14
Kudos: 93
Collections: Markhyuck Week 2021





	1. Preface

Note : this is just some hockey 101 stuff so you guys can understand a bit about the game/player positions as well as modifications I've made to fit the fic.

Normally, there’s 20 people on a hockey team with each game lasting around an hour

  * But for the purpose of this fic, there will only be six players on the team (one for each position on the ice)
  * And the boys will play the entire game in full rather than having people switch on and off the ice



Positions

  * 3 forwards (offense) 
    * 1 center
    * 2 wingers
  * 2 defenders
  * 1 goalie



Characters

  * Donghyuck (Sophomore) - Center
  * Mark (Junior) - Goalie
  * Yangyang (Sophomore) - Goalie (benched due to leg injury)
  * Sungchan (Freshman) - Left winger
  * Winwin (Senior) - Right winger
  * Jeno (Sophomore) - Defender
  * Ten (Senior) - Defender




	2. Hey! Canada!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark is absolutely fully capable!  
> But when it comes to playing goalie...

Mark wondered why all the teachers thought it necessary to make new students introduce themselves, thus highlighting the fact that they were new.

So when Mark said “Hi, I’m Mark. I’m from Canada” for the third time that day in Calculus, he was glad most of the other students paid him no mind and continued to scroll through their phones.

Transferring to a new school three weeks into his junior year was no fun (as one would expect). Mark absently wandered through the halls to his next class, and scanned the flyers on the walls to see if there were any clubs he could join. After all, he needed some sort of extracurricular activity to put on his college apps next year.

“Hey! Canada!” Mark spun around and a boy with a brace on his leg determinedly hobbled up to him. Mark was stuck between wanting to help support the boy and a sudden desire to run away.

“I’m Yangyang. Do you play hockey?”

“Hi Yangyang,” Mark replied hesitantly and furrowed his brows in confusion. “Yeah, I guess but-”

“Have you ever played goalie?” Yangyang interjected.

Mark gripped the straps of his bag, unsure where this conversation was going. “Yes, but-”

“Wonderful.” Yangyang broke out into a smile and sized Mark up. ”We look about the same size, so you can use my gear.” He slapped Mark on the shoulder amicably, and it kind of hurt. “Practice starts at 6 o’clock. Get to the community ice rink before then. Coach likes to start on time. Be there or be square! And no one wants to be a square.”

“Wait, I-” But Yangyang was already limping away, disappearing into the wave of students washing through the hallways onto their next class.

“-suck at playing goalie,” Mark finished. He sighed and tried to recall where the community rink was. At least his extracurricular woes seemed to be resolved.

Mark was ready to call it quits after the first ten minutes of practice.

He was absolutely _murdered_ by the rest of the team. Mark hadn’t even come close to blocking a single shot so far. It's the most he can do to stay upright on his skates.

And he got his hockey stick stuck in the goalie net. Twice.

The coach finally called Mark off the ice for a break after one of the forwards -was his name Sungchan?- beaned him in the helmet with the puck. Mark tried to keep the utter mortification off of his face as he listened to Yangyang and the coach squabble back and forth.

“Don’t give me that look, Coach. What? You said we just needed a replacement. You didn’t say they had to be good.”

Coach pinched the space between his brows irritably. “Don’t get smart with me. He didn’t block any of Sungchan’s shots.”

Yangyang let out an aggravated sigh. “Please Coach, even I can’t block Sungchan’s slapshots.”

The coach still looked unconvinced.

“Tell me you don’t see potential,” Yangyang pressed.

Coach opened his mouth, presumably to retort something snide. “Don’t answer that!” Yangyang quickly exclaimed. He glanced at Mark, who was sitting within earshot.

“Are you saying you think you _can’t_ coach this kid to be the best goalie you’ve ever seen? And besides, you scared away all the other candidates at tryouts this year.” The coach’s jaw clenched and Yangyang grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

Yangyang looked back over his shoulder and winked at Mark, as if he’s done Mark a huge favor.

Mark stared at the dinosaur mascot banner hanging from the walls and wondered what exactly he’d just gotten himself into.

After another week of lackluster performance, Coach asked Mark to chat a bit while the rest of the team did warm up drills before practice began.

Mark thought Coach finally told Yangyang to stick a sock in it, and was going to dismiss him from the team. (And Mark was sorry to say his first thought was relief.)

Coach took a very loud sip of his very dark coffee and asked Mark flat out, “Kid, do you even like hockey?”

Mark fiddled with his (Yangyang’s) helmet nervously. The crocodile sticker stuck to the back of it smiled unhelpfully at him. “I mean, yeah. Pretty much everyone plays in Canada.”

“But?” Coach prompted.

“But...to be honest, I’m the worst at playing goalie. I always played one of the forwards back home when I had the choice.”

Coach perked up at this. “Wait, this is perfect then. When Yangyang gets back to playing goalie next year, _you_ can replace Sicheng as forward since he’s graduating.”

Mark faked a smile. It was never really in his plans to play hockey when he transferred. But Coach looked so happy that Mark didn't have the heart to tell him that what he really wanted to do was stop humiliating himself at practice and just throw in the towel.

Coach planted his hands on his hips and nodded with satisfaction. “Wonderful, I’ll get your jersey and banner ordered then.”

He slapped Mark good-naturedly on the shoulder. “You’re a Dino now. We need to get you whipped into shape before the first game though. Starting tomorrow morning, come in an hour before school and run drills with Hyuck. He's annoying, but he's the best we got.”

Mark wanted to cry. Morning practice on top of everything else? But he supposed there was no backing out now. No matter though, he could do this.

He could do this.

Mark couldn't do it.

“Mark!” Coach barked. Mark wanted to put his helmet back on and hide his face. “I’ve changed my mind.”

Was he finally going to give Mark the boot? Hoo-ray.

“Extra drills! With Hyuck! Start today. Right now.” Coach punctuated the end of his statement with a sharp bleat of his whistle. "The rest of you, dismissed!"

The other boys skated off the ice, swinging their hockey sticks at each other and laughing. Sungchan patted Mark’s shoulder, a sympathetic look on his face.

“You’ll eventually get used to it,” he said cryptically before skating off to join the rest of the team in the locker room.

“Alright, looks like it’s just you and me, Canada.” Mark felt a cold bead of sweat roll down his spine at the sight of the other boy’s wicked smile.

And then, Mark was in hell.

Sungchan was responsible for most of the goals during practice so Mark never really got a good feel on Donghyuck's game.

But now he knew why Coach chose Donghyuck as center and why everyone said he was the ace of the team.

Donghyuck moved with incredible speed, agilely racing across the ice on his skates. Hockey pucks zoomed at Mark one after the other, so fast he barely saw them coming.

After a few minutes of taking pucks to the helmet, Mark had given up on defending the goal in favor of trying to dodge the flying projectiles.

“You’re supposed to keep the pucks from going in, Canada!” Donghyuck mocked, doing a quick lap around the rink before slapping another puck into the goal.

By the end of practice, Mark was very sweaty and very sore. He wasn’t sure if this was the “special training” Coach had in mind when he made Mark stay behind with Donghyuck.

When they skated off the ice at the end of the hour, Donghyuck slung an arm around Mark’s heavily padded shoulders like they were besties or something.

“Canada, you might be the worst goalie this team has ever seen.”

Mark grimaced and shrugged Donghyuck’s arm off. He was never the biggest fan of touchy-feely people. “Geez. I know, I know.”

Donghyuck knocked his stick amicably against Mark’s. “Just leave it to me, Canada! Before you know it, you’ll be the  _ best  _ goalie this team’s ever seen!”

Mark thought about the incessant clanging in his helmet from the shower of hockey pucks he'd just endured and tried to smile.

“Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready to meet the team next chapter :)))  
> Hope you guys enjoy the fic so far, and I'll be posting weekly updates moving forward  
> Let me know if there's any questions regarding hockey, I'll do my best to answer them  
>  ~ 🌻


	3. Initiation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the best team under the sun :))

Mark decided that while he didn’t like playing goalie, he loved being on the team. Oh yes, the members of the Dinos hockey team were something else.

Yangyang; benched goalie, sophomore, Schnappi enthusiast.

The kid was a menace, even with only one leg functioning properly.

Every other day, Coach could be heard loudly cursing Yangyang’s name after sipping his coffee that the boy spiked sometimes with lemon juice, other times with soy sauce, and on one memorable occasion: pickle salt.

When he wasn’t being the bane of Coach’s existence, he was bothering the rest of the team by blasting Megan thee Stallion from the speaker system of the ice rink. Mark had listened to “Body” more times he cared for and could probably sing the whole cursed song in his sleep.

Ten; left defensemen, senior, holier-than-thou.

Ten had little patience for anyone. He was the only one on the team with (pretentious) gold colored blades on his skates because he claimed the aesthetic was nice. Mark once asked him if his skates were real gold. Ten looked him dead in the eyes and said, “What do you think?” And honestly? Mark still didn’t know to this day if the skates were real or not.

Ten also enjoyed bedazzling any of his gear the coach let him. So far he had a helmet covered in sparkly stickers, glitter tape criss-crossing his hockey stick, and was currently in the process of convincing Coach to let him sew sequins onto his jersey.

Sungchan; left winger, freshman, baby tree.

Although Sungchan was the youngest, he was definitely the only underclassmen on the team with functioning brain cells. He was exceedingly polite, greeting Coach properly at the beginning of every practice and bidding him farewell at the end of the night. But make no mistake, Sunchan was also the only one on the team that could probably make any one of the other players cry if they were hit with one of his slap shots.

He liked to cook and brought food for the team whenever they had late practices (which was all the time, thank you Coach). Sungchan told Mark that Coach had also subjected him to Donghyuck’s brutal training when he first joined the team at the beginning of the year, so he was real sympathetic towards Mark’s situation.

Jeno; right defensemen, sophomore, resting smiley face.

For Mark, Jeno was the easiest to get along with. Donghyuck said that was because both Jeno and Mark are so awkward, that’s how come they meshed so well.

Sad.

But true.

Jeno made awful jokes that only Mark laughed at. Because Mark was the only one on the team lame enough to actually find them funny. They quickly fell into a steady rhythm of friendship, and Jeno always saved Mark a seat at their lunch table with the rest of the team.

Sicheng; right winger, senior, local pretty boi.

Sicheng was cute. But Donghyuck was quick to inform that Sicheng already had a boyfriend when he noticed Mark making starry eyes at the senior. Mark told Donghyuck that he wasn’t into Sicheng that way. Donghyuck snorted, wholly unconvinced. He retorted that “ _Everyone_ is into Sicheng that way at some point.”

Either way, Sicheng rarely spoke unless directly spoken to so he and Mark barely had any interaction the first few weeks Mark joined the team. But Mark played video games a few times after practice with Sicheng and Jeno, and now they could comfortably hold a conversation.

Then, there was Donghyuck; center, sophomore, the devil’s spawn.

Honestly, Mark didn’t know what to make of him.

The guerilla style training he endured every morning before school made Mark lowkey terrified of the center. But after practice ended, Donghyuck would always grin and try to sling an arm around Mark’s shoulder. And like clockwork, Mark rolled his eyes and pushed Donghyuck’s arm off.

Mark still couldn’t get used to Donghyuck touchy-feeliness, but supposed they were friends after all. And though he would never admit it outloud, Mark was grateful for Donghyuck’s relentless training despite its exhaustive nature.

And finally, the most important person on the team.

Coach.

Moon Taeil was an interesting man. He was short in stature, but made up for it with an extra foot and a half of attitude. He trained the team with a no-nonsense attitude and used his whistle way too liberally.

His coffee was always black as night (“like my soul” Coach said once). Once, Ten and Yangyang convinced Mark to sneak a sip of Coach’s coffee while the rest of the team egged him on, claiming it was an act of initiation.

So Mark snuck into Coach’s office and sampled the drink.

It tasted like death.

But at the end of the day, Coach was like ~~a father~~ that one weird uncle at the family reunions. Really intense, but caring and supportive of each of his athletes (even Yangyang).

Mark had sort of a nervous breakdown two weeks away from their first scrimmage.

“I can’t do it, Coach.” Mark pulled off his helmet, panting. Practice had just ended and the rest of the team was busy changing.

Coach snorted and flopped into his chair, “Not with that attitude, you can’t.”

“I’m serious, Coach. You guys are going to have to find a new goalie because I- I suck. Like really bad.”

“Whoa whoa whoa, hey now,” Coach pulled Mark to sit on the ‘resolution couch’. (The ‘couch’ was actually a giant bean bag in the corner of the office mostly used for making Donghyuck and whoever was in an argument with him that day sit together and hash out their problems.)

“Where is all this coming from? You’re doing a great job! You’ve improved so much since joining us,” Coach said.

“No, Coach. No I haven’t. I’ve been on the team for like a month and I still haven’t managed to block a single shot.” Mark ran a hand through his sweaty hair. “We’re gonna lose and it’ll be all my fault.”

“Mark, you’re not being fair to yourself or the rest of the team. Give the boys a little credit. Even if you don’t bring your A-game, they’ll still carry.” Coach smiled encouragingly. It was an odd sight in comparison to the scrutinizing scowl he typically wore.

“Remember that not every team has Sungchan and Hyuck’s slap shots. Plus, it’s just a scrimmage this time. Doesn’t really matter if we win or lose. You’ll do just fine, just breathe a little.”

Mark took a deep breath and nodded.

“So what do you say? Stay on the team?”

Mark smiled slightly and nodded again, “Yeah. I’m here to stay.”

Coach let out a sigh of relief, the sound likened to a leaky balloon. “Thank god, because I can _not_ get a refund on this.” He tossed Mark a bundle of blue before walking off and called over his shoulder, “Hurry up and put it on, we’re taking team pictures today.”

Mark shook out the folds of the fabric to see what it was.

It was a hockey jersey.

More accurately, it was Mark’s game day jersey.

Something about seeing the now familiar t-rex mascot bear its teeth at him from the front of the jersey and his name spelled out of the back of the jersey made Mark feel his throat knot up painfully. Mark pulled practice jersey off his body and slid the new one up over his head before he started crying or something dumb.

Mark swallowed and tightened the laces on his skates before heading back out onto the ice.

The rest of the team already had their game day jerseys on and were sitting on the wall of the rink, dangling their legs over the side.

Sungchan and Donghyuck were feverishly debating about something insignificant. Sicheng was zoning out, pretty eyes glazed over idly. There was a space between Jeno and Ten, which Jeno patted and motioned for Mark to come sit.

Mark hoisted himself up between the two defenders.

Coach wore the face of a proud father, clicking away with his digital camera. When he was satisfied with the amount of pictures taken, Coach blew his whistle and hollered for them to gather around.

“Make no mistake, I hate all of you. But you guys are like sons to me, so bring it in you little punks.”

They all teetered closer on their skates and bundled together in a group hug. Mark smiled, a warm comfort fluttered in his chest.

There was a beat of silence.

Someone coughed.

“Okay yeah, that’s enough of that,” Coach grunted as he extracted himself from the tangle of arms.

“Sicheng, you’re in charge because you’re my favorite.” Coach tossed a set of keys to the senior.

“Free night; just to skate around, let loose before the games start for the season,” Jeno explained to Mark.

“You boys have fun and stay out of trouble. I don’t wanna be hearing about any damages from the bosses, alright?”

“Yes Coach!” the team chorused.

Donghyuck skated up to Mark, threw an arm around his shoulder and yanked him into a chokehold. Mark gasped in surprise and stumbled, leaning heavily into Donghyuck.

“Remember Canada, you’re one of us now,” Mark heard him say, laughter in his voice. “It’s time for the real initiation.”

Mark squirmed free of Donghyuck’s hold.

“Umm...guys?”

The other hockey players were closing in around him like they were a group of sharks and Mark was a tasty mackerel who’d wandered into dangerous waters.

“Alright boys, fall in,” Ten said with a smirk. And Mark was swarmed in a flurry of limbs and faces.

Donghyuck was the first to lean in and stamp a chaste kiss to Mark’s cheek. The others soon followed. Mark felt someone press their lips to the back of his head, the top of his head, his nose, and his forehead. Someone also bit his neck, and Mark was almost certain Ten was the one who did it.

Mark grimaced and wiped the wet spots off his face.

Sungchan laughed and slapped Mark’s shoulder. “Grab your helmet, I’ll play goalie tonight and you can be forward.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for 200+ hits! And an extra thanks to those who left kudos, it really means a lot to me (っ˘ω˘ς )  
> Unfortunately, there may not be an update next week as I'll be tied with another project I've been working on in wake of the Oneus comeback that's approaching (and also uni will be starting soon T-T).  
> But...if I don't do an update, I will most definitely post a bonus of some sort on my twitter.  
> Anyways, Happy New Year and stay healthy/safe y'all  
>  ~🌻


	4. Walk Me Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something's different. Mark doesn't know what it is, but he knows it's there.
> 
> (Refer to end notes for hockey vocab)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last week's extra:  
>  Hey guys, just dropping [this link](https://twitter.com/vegetablebirb/status/1349383571446894593?s=20) to small extra I wrote to make up for this week's lack of update.  
>  If you guys also happen to be into Oneus, check out this [puzzle fic/game](https://oneus-princeofdenmark.carrd.co/#) I've also been working on.  
>  Hope you guys are staying healthy and safe! I'll be back next week with a proper update haha  
>  ~🌻  
> 

Yangyang was absolutely devastated when he heard he’d missed Mark’s initiation the previous night. “I wanna kiss Mark too!” he whined, complaining that he had every right to partake in the initiation as he was the one who scouted Mark.

Mark grimaced, but permitted the younger boy to kiss his cheek with a dramatic ‘mwah’. The rest of the team snickered.

Coach, hearing the commotion, stuck his head out into the locker room and asked where Sungchan was.

As if on queue, Sungchan burst through the door, clothes uncharacteristically ruffled and his expression was haggard. He scampered over to his locker and started to quickly change.

“Sorry I’m late guys. My idiot friend came over this morning and got kimchi pancake stuck on the ceiling,” Sungchan ran a tired hand through his hair.

If that excuse had come out of anyone else’s mouth, Coach would’ve called bullsh1t and wasted another ten minutes of practice lecturing them about punctuality. But it was Sungchan. And Sungchan was never late for practice.

“Alright, don’t let it happen again. The rest of you, asses on the ice! Asses on the ice! Let’s go!” Coach shouted and bleated his whistle.

In the days leading up to the scrimmage, Coach ran the team through twice the amount of drills they normally did during practice. As Mark walked down the hall, he could feel the soreness in his back down to his bones from all the time spent squatting in the goalie net. He hobbled to his next class like a grandpa.

Later that day, Mark found some pain relief patches in his locker. He glanced around and saw Donghyuck sticking a few of the patches onto his own shoulders, struggling to hold the collar of his shirt away to apply it properly. Coach must’ve felt bad for pushing them all so hard.

Mark’s extra practices with Donghyuck also intensified, running new drills every other day. Mark didn’t complain though. Because every morning when he arrived at the community rink, Donghyuck was already there running drills by himself.

Mark wondered how early Donghyuck showed up at the rink. But he supposed all that skill Donghyuck had playing center was only partially rooted in raw talent. Clearly Donghyuck worked his a$$ off.

Mark thought about his mediocre performance as goalie thus far and wondered if he should start showing up early as well.

They played against the Cobras for their first scrimmage. Coach was right. Despite his low self-esteem, Mark had improved.

Mark was so shocked when successfully blocked his first shot that he froze for a few seconds before Ten screeched, “Canada! Pass the biscuit* goddammit!” Mark shook off his initial surprise and passed the puck to the defender.

The rest of scrimmage passed breezily, Mark blocking most of the other shots that came his way. The Cobras were a friendly and sociable team, all grins when the game ended. And Sungchan packed them box meals to enjoy afterwards. Coach was grinning from ear to ear, chest puffed with pride. It was a good time.

After they finished dinner, Coach drove the kiddos home first while the seniors headed back in their own cars. Donghyuck and Mark lingered a bit afterwards, chatting with some of the Cobras.

“Look out for the Gorillas this season. Heard they got a new Coach this year who encourages them to play dirty,” one of the defenders told them.

Donghyuck nodded sagely, “Noted.”

They all exchanged socials before Mark and Donghyuck headed to the bus stop to go home.

Mark was surprised to see Donghyuck get on the same bus route as him.

“Hey, Canada. Here to walk me home?” Donghyuck plopped into the vacant seat next to Mark and held his bag on his lap.

Mark rolled his eyes, “You wish.”

Donghyuck yawned, and his eyelids fluttered. Mark asked him what his stop was. Donghyuck told him.

“Oh I get off there too. You can sleep if you want, I’ll wake you up when we’re there,” Mark assured Donghyuck.

Donghyuck smiled sleepily, “Thanks Canada.” Then he slumped over, leaning his head on Mark’s shoulder.

Mark squirmed in discomfort, “Dude.” And upon receiving no response, “Dude!”

Donghyuck was out cold. It was truly amazing.

Mark finally had to shake Donghyuck awake when they arrived at their stop. Donghyuck whined and groaned about his sore muscles while Mark listened with silent amusement.

“Canada, you don’t actually have to walk me home.”

Mark scoffed, “Don’t flatter yourself, my house is this way too.”

They continued walking for a few more minutes. When they arrived at Mark’s street, they said at the same time, “Well this is me.”

Mark blinked at Donghyuck.

Donghyuck blinked back at him.

They both let out disbelieving laughs. “I can’t believe we’ve been living on the same street and just noticed now,” Mark said as they continued down the sidewalk together.

Donghyuck nodded in concession. He hesitated and then said, “Hey, do you want to go to the rink together tomorrow morning?”

Mark nodded, “Sure. Meet here at seven?”

Donghyuck raised an eyebrow.

Mark rubbed the nape of his neck, feeling embarrassed for some reason. “I noticed you’re always at the rink before me, and I figured I should also get some extra practice in before our first match.”

Donghyuck smiled, teeth flashing bright white under the light of the street lamps. And Mark noticed for the first time that his tooth was chipped. It was one of Donghyuck’s incisors, leaving an angular gap next to his front tooth. And it was cute. Mark quickly averted his eyes. Since when did he find _teeth_ cute?

Mark half expected a teasing remark but Donghyuck replied instead, “Seven sounds good.”

They finally parted ways at Donghyuck’s house. Donghyuck walked a few steps backwards as he retreated up the driveway, giving an idle wave at Mark and calling out a quick “good night”.

Mark waved back, feeling something stir in his chest.

The two of them had actually forgotten that there was team practice the next morning _at_ seven to recap their performance at the scrimmage the previous night. Mark only remembered when Jeno called him at six thirty, asking if he’d woken up yet.

Mark stumbled out of bed and hurriedly threw on some clothes before grabbing his gear and running to Donghyuck’s house to bang on the door.

Donghyuck answered the door, hair a mess, and protein bar hanging from his mouth. “Canada, what the-”

“Morning practice! At seven,” Mark gasped out. “We need to leave now if we don’t wanna hear it from Coach.”

Donghyuck cursed and disappeared to grab his equipment.

The two of them booked it to the community rink, making it with three minutes to spare.

Jeno and Ten laughed as Mark and Donghyuck panickedly changed and laced up their skates.

Mark was already sweating as he followed Donghyuck into the rink. And the rest of the team trailed after them.

Donghyuck suddenly stopped, causing Mark to run into him. Which caused Jeno to run into Mark. And soon the rest of the team was bumping into one another and wobbling groggily in their skates.

Donghyuck's mouth was wide open in shock. He pointed at the penalty box.

“You guys are seeing this too, right?”

Sicheng, blissfully unaware of his audience, aggressively pushed another boy wearing a soccer team jacket up against the windows before connecting their lips.

Ten gasped and tried to cover Sungchan’s eyes. (Sungchan was too tall for him to reach.)

The shrill screech of Coach’s whistle ripped through the shocked silence.

And so the team spent the first 20 minutes of practice listening to Coach lecture Sicheng about how the “Sin Bin”* was _not_ for actual sinning. Sicheng's face remained perfectly stoic, not looking the least bit embarrassed from having been caught.

Ten shook his head and picked at the glittery stickers on his helmet. “It’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it?”

Mark giggled and Donghyuck nudged his arm. “Hey Canada, are you alright?” he whispered conspiratorially.

“Huh? Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Mark yawned and tried to shake the sleepiness from his head.

Donghyuck had an expression on his face that Mark had never seen before. Was it embarrassment? “Well, I thought you liked Sicheng and- you know what, nevermind.” Yeah, he was definitely embarrassed.

Mark playfully punched Donghyuck on the shoulder, “Aww, are you worried about me?”

Donghyuck scowled, “Dream on, Canada.” Mark laughed and so did Donghyuck.

“And for the record,” Mark said glancing at Donghyuck, who was still grinning. He could see Donghyuck’s chipped tooth from this angle. “I don’t like Sicheng.”

Coach finally realized he wasn’t getting through to Sicheng and hollered for the rest of them to hit the ice. He narrowed his eyes at the bench and Mark straightened his face.

Coach asked what Donghyuck was smiling so much about. Maybe Mark imagined it, but Donghyuck seemed to smile a little wider. “Nothing, Coach. Nothing at all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *biscuit = the puck  
> *sin bin = the penalty box
> 
> Thank you guys so much for being patient 💖 and I hope yall enjoyed this update  
> School is officially back in session, but I will do my best to keep up with weekly posts


	5. Slapshot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's about time for Markles to have a revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe i still managed to get this update up this week

It had been just a little over a month since Mark had transferred, but he felt right at home laughing with the rest of the hockey team as Yangyang brandished his cheese stick like a sword in Ten’s face. As Yangyang challenged Ten to a fight to the death across the lunch table, Jeno and Sicheng recorded the exchange with their phones, identical grins on their faces. Donghyuck kept trying to put his arm around Mark’s shoulders. And Mark kept shoving his arm off. Sungchan was doing homework (how he was able to concentrate in this chaos was beyond Mark), but he would occasionally lift his head and grin.

And then there would be times where Mark would be reminded that he was still _technically_ fresh meat at this school.

The hockey team and the swim team seemed to have an ongoing rivalry, the teams and its members always being compared by the student body despite the sports being nowhere near similar. Why there was a rivalry or how exactly it started, no one knew.

Jeno once loudly whispered to Mark that it was because the coaches of teams were always at each other’s throats and had been since grade school. Coach heard him and gave Jeno the stank eye before making him stay after practice to polish the ice.

Mark didn’t think much of the matter and wasn’t aware that this also translated to the team members hating each other as well.

Until he was tripped in the hallway by a beefy underclassman from the swim team.

Mark let out a gasp as he slammed onto the floor, his bag thumped to the ground next to him and his hockey stick clattering noisily. The other athletes standing around the instigator chortled.

Wonderful. Mark _loved_ being the laughing stock of the general public.

He tried to stand, but rough hands pushed him back down. More laughter.

Another attempt to stand. Shoved down. Laughing.

The weariness in his bones from morning practice combined with the late night cram session for his history test left Mark with exactly zero will power to deal with the current situation. So Mark just stayed laying face down on the ground and tried not to think about the cesspool of disease that was the school floor.

The laughing stopped and confused murmuring ensued.

“Canada, what the hell are you doing?”

Great, the almighty Lee Donghyuck was here to witness his humiliation. Honestly, Mark would’ve liked to ask himself the same thing. But if the hooligans wanted Mark to stay down, he might as well save himself some energy and just stay down.

Mark didn’t respond to Donghyuck and continued his dead fish charade.

Donghyuck pulled Mark to his feet. The younger boy’s face was contorted into a frown and his eyes swept across the faces of the bullies.

“Hey,” Donghyuck said voice dangerously low. He picked up Mark’s hockey stick and banged the butt of it against a nearby locker. The swim team collectively winced at the sheer volume of the sound. “Lay off him from now on.”

The warning bell rang, the students began to clear out the hallway.

Donghyuck sighed and turned back to Mark. “Canada, you’re a real embarrassment to the hockey team. Aren’t you?”

Mark shrugged, “Sorry.”

Donghyuck groaned in response. “What are you apologizing for? God, where is your spine?!”

He turned Mark’s hockey stick around in his hands. “How does the saying go again? ‘Be quiet and carry a big stick’?”

Theodore Roosevelt. Mark mentally patted himself on the back for recognizing the quote. All that studying really paid off.

Donghyuck slung an arm around Mark’s shoulders. Mark tensed, but didn’t pull away like he normally would. For once, Donghyuck’s weird fixation on skinship felt comforting.

“Well, you already got the quiet part down.” Donghyuck shoved the hockey stick into Mark’s hands. “And you’ve got a big stick too.”

Mark gripped his hockey stick tightly, too embarrassed to look Donghyuck in the eye. “So?”

Donghyuck leaned closer and whispered conspiratorially in Mark’s ear. “One clean whack to the shins and I guarantee they will never bother you again.”

Mark’s eyes widened and he turned his head to see if Donghyuck was being serious. Their faces are so close that their noses brushed against each other.

Mark jerked back as if electrocuted. Donghyuck giggled at his flustered expression and squeezed Mark’s shoulder before letting go.

Mark felt like he’d been conked in the head by one of Sungchan’s slapshots.

Because suddenly he couldn’t stop looking at Donghyuck. The other boy’s face was alight with laughter and his eyes scrunched with amusement.

Oh fxxx.

The swim team left Mark to his own devices after he employed Donghyuck’s advice the next time he was tripped in the hallway.

Practice proceeded as normal.

And life went on all the same.

Except it was totally _not_ the same.

“Canada, you’re finally the best goalie this team has seen.”

Both of them were leaned up against the walls of the ice rink, gulping for air.

“Don’t let Yangyang hear that,” Mark replied. They both giggled.

Donghyuck looked at Mark. “Hey, come here. I’ll teach you something cool.”

Donghyuck awkwardly positioned himself near the goalie net. Then, he skillfully whacked the puck down the length of the ice rink and neatly into the net of the opposing side.

“You can actually score as a goalie if there happens to be an empty net.” Donghyuck handed the stick off to Mark. “Here, you try.”

Mark tried.

However, the goalie’s stick was very different from the regular hockey sticks he was used to using for slap shots. The puck veered _way_ off course and slammed against the wall.

Mark grimaced and Donghyuck laughed. Mark felt his cheeks color at the sound.

“Here.” Mark froze as Donghyuck placed his hands over Mark’s. Donghyuck’s brow furrowed slightly in concentration as he adjusted Mark’s grip. “Hold and swing like this so you can have more power and control over your shot.” He guided Mark through the motion.

Donghyuck’s hands left his and Mark could finally breathe again. He tried again. This time the puck slid halfway across the rink towards the goal.

“Try leaning over a bit more,” Donghyuck called out. Mark bent slightly over the puck into a very awkward feeling stance. Donghyuck laughed again and skated over to place his hand on the small of Mark’s back. His back!

Mark didn’t know what was wrong with him, but he suddenly felt like screaming and fainting at the same time. Donghyuck seemed wholly unaware of Mark’s ongoing internal turmoil and pushed Mark’s shoulder slightly back, adjusting his stance.

“See? Isn’t that better, Canada?”

“Uh huh,” Mark managed to breath out. He gripped his stick tightly and whacked the puck. The puck wobbled slightly as it traveled across the ice, stopping just short of the net.

“You got it, Canada.”

They practiced a few more times, ran a few more drills, and then took another break.

“Do you really think I can do it?” Mark asked as they sat side by side on the wall of the rink. Their first official game was drawing close.

Donghyuck smiled crookedly, only one side of his mouth curling upwards as if the other side was too tired to do so. His chipped tooth flashed at Mark.

“Of course. You have the best teacher after all.”

Mark rolled his eyes and turned away so Donghyuck wouldn’t see the dumb smile spreading across his face. “Yeah, I really do.”

Mark was trying to keep his head on straight. He needed to focus and not be a complete blustering fool during their first game.

And Mark swore he was trying to.

Donghyuck wasn’t making things easier by seeming to have turned his touchy-feely dial to the max as of late. He would sometimes hold Mark’s wrist as they crossed the street on the way to the rink in the mornings, and Mark would let him.

One time, Donghyuck had just kept his hand encircled around Mark’s wrist for the entire walk to the rink. Mark hoped Donghyuck couldn’t feel his pulse beating at a maddening rate. All these small touches, so natural and insignificant to Donghyuck made the _something_ in Mark’s chest feel as if it were about to burst.

Sometimes Mark wondered if he was being too obvious. He wondered if it wasn’t right to accept Donghyuck’s habit of affection when he’d spent so much time avoiding his touch.

But then Donghyuck would be rushing down his driveway, hair a mess, backpack hanging off one shoulder. He’d toss a protein bar to Mark and sling an arm around his shoulders. And Mark would feel his heart leap like a stupid, eager puppy begging for attention.

Mark would cram the protein bar into his mouth before he could say something stupid like _you have a nice face_ or even better _your chipped tooth is really cute_.

There would be other moments when they would be playing video games at Jeno’s house. Mark would look across the dark room at the TV screen casting an artificial glow on Donghyuck’s face, angular shadows dancing across it as Donghyuck screeched in rage as he was blue-shelled yet again. His fringe pushed back carelessly with a headband he borrowed from Jeno’s mom. Mark would watch Donghyuck cram an unholy amount of Cheetos into his mouth and think: _really? him?_

But then Donghyuck’s eyes would suddenly meet his and Mark would feel his throat dry, his brain powering off.

Then, there were also moments like this.

“Ugh, Yangyang my child, what is that atrocious thing you’re wearing around your neck!” Ten exclaimed, nose wrinkling with distaste.

Yangyang touched one of the many bulky charms dangling from the plastic chain around his neck and frowned at Ten.

“The student athletic trainer who’s been working on my leg gave it to me,” he said with a pout. “And I promised him I would wear it.”

“That,” Ten grabbed Yangyang’s head and gave it a good noogie. Yangyang squawked indignantly, wobbling on his good leg. “-is adorable. But it doesn’t change the fact that it’s utterly hideous.”

Yangyang pouted, “I think it’s quite fashionable.” Someone snorted. It was Sicheng, and he quickly occupied himself with lacing up his skates.

“Mark?” Yangyang’s eyes searched his, hoping for some support or validation. Behind Yangyang’s back, Ten raised an eyebrow at Mark.

Mark quickly shook his head and began to rifle through his locker, just so he had something to do rather than be subjected to Yangyang’s wounded expression.

“Hyuck?” Yangyang prompted, voice bright with hope.

Mark heard Donghyuck laugh. It sounded like liquid sunlight. Mark banged his head against the door of his locker with a groan, trying to rid his mind of the obtrusive thought.

A hand landed on his shoulder. “You alright there, Canada?” Speak of the devil.

Mark nodded, head still resting against the locker door. The cool metal soothing the rising heat in his face.

“You probably shouldn’t do that. You don’t have enough brain cells to spare.”

Mark swung an arm blindly behind him and the hand on his shoulder pulled away. Donghyuck laughed again, and Mark could think of nothing else for the entirety of practice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if i'm being honest, i'm not sure if i'll be able to keep up with weekly posts as uni is really dragging my a$$ right now.  
> but this series is only a few more chapters away from completion so i'll do my best to finish posting before i fall off the grid haha  
> thank you guys so much for leaving kudos and taking the time to read my writing, it means so much to me💖  
> ~🌻
> 
> for sneak peeks of this fic (and my other wips) you can check out my Twitter [@vegetablebirb](https://twitter.com/vegetablebirb)


	6. Game On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah, their first game...it could've gone a lot smoother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowowowowowow, look at all the athletic inaccuracy.  
> I did my best though so hopefully there is some integrity in the plot.

At last, at last. It was the first game of the season.

And, as luck would have it, Mark’s team would be facing off with the Gorillas. Their team name was quite appropriate as each of the players were hulking masses of muscle.

Meanwhile, all the players for the Dinosaurs with lithe and built for speed. Even Jeno, who was the most muscular out of all of them, was half the size of their smallest player.

Everyone was sitting on the bench, in varying degrees of jitteriness. Yangyang was the most nervous, despite being the only one who wouldn’t be playing. Even Coach was uncharacteristically quiet, gleaming whistle dangling neglected from his neck.

A sudden outburst from the audience broke the somber mood.

“Jeno! JENO LEE! Yas, you sexy muscle beast! Go Jeno!”

An embarrassed smile crept its way onto Jeno’s face as the rest of the team and the people sitting in the stands turned to look at the willowy boy wildly waving a glittery poster with Jeno’s name spelled out in hot pink sparkles.

“Boyfriend?” Ten asked, amusement tinting his voice as he tightened the laces on his skates.

Jeno jammed his helmet on, but everyone had already seen the reddening tips of his ears.

“Best friend,” Jeno replied. “I think Jaemin’s boyfriend was the one who made the poster though. Renjun’s probably gonna strangle him later for being an embarrassment.”

Mark squinted at the stands, and sure enough there was another figure sitting hunched over next to the enthused poster waver with his head between his hands. Mark laughed, trying to ignore the growing sense of dread pooling in his stomach.

As soon as the game started, Mark knew the opposing team was nothing like the Cobras they played against at the scrimmage. The Gorillas weren’t just competitive, they were ruthless.

At first, it was just subtle things here and there. The sly nudge of an elbow. The harsh bump of the shoulder.

The subtle underhanded jabs became more deliberate and grew in frequency. Both teams threw more and more glances at the referee, but the man seemed wholly incompetent and was barely able to stay upright on his skates.

Then, the other team revealed their true colors.

As the opposing center swung his stick down towards the puck, Mark felt something shift in the air.

Like a dam brimming at it’s limit, ready to burst and release the flood.

Mark exhaled shakily.

And there was the sharp crack of hockey stick meeting puck.

The puck caught Ten on the cheek, and the defender crumpled to ice, eyes wide in surprise. The referee’s whistle shrieked shrilly and the trainer ran onto the ice. The atmosphere fell dead silent, save for Ten’s quiet gasps of pain.

“I’m fine, I’m fine! I can still play!” Ten shakily stood. And everyone could see that his face was so _not fine_. His cheek was a frightening shade of purple and was already beginning to swell, pushing up against his visor.

The Gorilla’s defender that had shot the puck subtly gave the center a low-five. They had done it on purpose!

Mark looked around, waiting for the referee to call a foul. But no one else had noticed the exchange.

Ten kept insisting he could continue to play. Coach looked ready to protest and Yangyang, the poor kid, was on the verge of tears. But the trainer gave the okay and the game resumed.

Mark felt ten times more on edge than he was at the beginning of the game. The Cobras _had_ warned them that the Gorillas liked to play dirty.

Soon, the Gorillas made their rounds to each of the Dinosaurs.

Sicheng ate ice when an opposing winger took his stick to Sicheng’s left skate. Jeno followed Sicheng’s fate. Donghyuck was practically shoved into the wall of the rink when the Gorillas defenders crowded up towards him. Sungchan also caught a puck to the face, but luckily he turned his head in time so it barely grazed his cheek.

And Mark, being the goalie, took most of the abuse as he was practically a sitting duck waiting in the net.

Mark felt a stick tug his heavily padded leg off balance and he fell forward with a thunk. If it hadn’t been for his face guard, his nose would’ve been smashed to a bloody pulp.

“Mark? Mark! Are you okay? Talk to me, Canada.” The referee called a foul (finally). Donghyuck skated up to the goalie net.

“I’m fine,” Mark wheezed out. “Just be careful. All of you.”

Donghyuck bit his lip and nodded.

Mark blocked more shots. And took more hits from the Gorilla’s hockey sticks as well. These were a lot more subtle than the previous attacks, cross checks* from follow throughs or more “accidental” elbowing as they skated by.

Most of this wasn’t caught by the referee. But Donghyuck seemed to notice everything. Mark could feel the darkening of Donghyuck’s gaze whenever he or one of the other players were hit.

Finally, Donghyuck snapped when one of the Gorillas tried to cross check Mark again. At the same time, Jeno swerved to avoid an opposing winger and ended up slamming into the wall of the rink.

Donghyuck flung off his gloves*, and everyone in the stands collectively gasped. Although fighting was technically allowed, high school players generally avoided engaging in it.

It was the Gorilla’s defender that had messed up Ten’s face, and he grinned deviously and grabbed at Donghyuck. But before his fingers could even brush Donghyuck’s jersey, Donghyuck had knocked off the guy’s helmet in one calculated swing.

The other player hit the ice. Hard.

Donghyuck dropped to his knees, murderous rage masking his face, and got in a few more punches before Coach finally hauled him away into the penalty box. The other defender was escorted off the ice as well, mouth looking like a rotten tomato had exploded on it. He was grinning like a maniac, streams of red tracking down his chin.

Mark (and probably the rest of the team) were flabbergasted. He’d never seen Donghyuck lose his temper before. Sure he’d pick petty fights with everyone, but he was never a violent person.

He was probably going to get an earful from Coach later. Imagine that! The center landing himself in the penalty box when they were up against the most notorious team in the district. In the first game no less!

Mark saw Donghyuck yank off his helmet in frustration and run a hand through his sweaty hair. Blood dripped from his nose. Donghyuck sneezed, and it would’ve been funny if it didn’t leave a spray of red on his jersey.

“Mark!” he heard Coach yell. “Eyes on the ice!”

Mark tore his eyes away from the penalty box and managed to block an incoming puck just in time. He flicked the puck to Sicheng, his lips flattening into a grim line. The seconds of the remaining game time seemed to tick by even slower.

They managed to scrape a win once Donghyuck’s penalty time ended and he was allowed back onto the ice. The rest of the game was relatively clean, but everyone on the team was sporting various bruises and cuts by the end of the night.

The mood was somber as Yangyang passed out ice packs to each member of the team, face white with fright. Mark waved off the ice pack Yangyang held out to him, escaping mostly unscathed thanks to his heavy protective gear.

Mark watched as Donghyuck pressed the ice to the violet blooming along his jaw. It looked like the Gorilla he’d pummelled managed to get a hit in. Mark felt something uncomfortable tighten in his gut.

Donghyuck, as if sensing it, turned and caught Mark’s gaze. He smiled reassuringly at Mark, then winced from the pain (which wasn’t reassuring at all).

“Okay, enough of this,” Coach suddenly said. “You guys just won the first game of the season against the most notorious team in the district. Choose somewhere nice and fancy to eat, dinner’s on me tonight.”

Instantly, everyone perked up at the mention of food.

After little debate, they decided on a Japanese restaurant Sungchan suggested. It was either that or some other Thai restaurant Ten wanted to go to. But after the last time they’d gone with Ten’s choice and nearly died from the spice, everyone wholeheartedly agreed with Sungchan’s preference.

Mark kind of felt bad for the servers as they stared at the group of sweaty and beat up looking boys piling into their restaurant. Coach smiled politely and asked for a booth in the back, something with more privacy.

It was one of those traditional restaurants with seated cushions on the floor. Mark plopped himself down on one of the cushions at the end of the table. Donghyuck immediately sat himself down next to Mark.

“Canada, are you sure you’re okay?”

Mark nodded, already shoveling rice feverishly into his mouth. “Are _you_ okay?” Mark asked Donghyuck, and put some edamame into the other boy’s bowl before Ten could eat all of it.

Ten pulled the plate back to his end of the table before Mark could help himself to any. Darn.

Mark saw Donghyuck briefly hesitate, then threw himself towards Mark. “Canada, my pretty face got ruined. Coach scolded me all the way over here,” Donghyuck whined and wound himself around Mark’s arm.

Mark groaned dramatically, but allowed Donghyuck to continue to cuddle his arm.

Mark clenched and unclenched his fists, heart in his throat. He tentatively (and awkwardly) reached across his own body and gently patted Donghyuck’s head. Mark bit his lip and quickly retracted his hand, already feeling the heat rising to his cheeks.

Mark heard Donghyuck sigh and his hands squeezed around Mark’s bicep.

Mark choked on a bite of sushi. Sungchan pushed Mark’s glass of water towards him across the table, a pensive look on his face.

They rode the bus home together, Donghyuck rested his head on Mark’s shoulder again, sleeping through the ride back.

When he watched Donghyuck walk up his driveway, the word ‘confess’ wormed its way into Mark’s thoughts and bounced around, echoing inside his empty can of a brain.

“Hyuck!” Mark blurted out.

Donghyuck turned around, brows raised in question.

“I-” the words caught in his throat. Mark swallowed.

Maybe it was too soon.

Maybe he wasn’t ready yet.

Maybe he was scared of what Donghyuck would say.

“Goodnight,” Mark said finally.

Donghyuck smiled and, even with his bruised jaw and weary posture, he was beautiful.

And Mark? Mark just liked him.

Like a lot.

“Goodnight, Mark.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Update] So I forgot to do the notes for a couple of hockey things when I updated last night 😅 here they are:  
> *cross check = basically just whacking another player with the stick and the stick is completely off the ice  
> *flinging off the gloves = challenging an opponent on the ice to a fight [I think this was the strangest thing I learned about hockey is they actually allow fights...]
> 
> Oof, alrighty. I kinda rushed through this one, but I really wanted to post an update this week.  
> The end is drawing near though...  
> ~🌻


	7. Announcement (non-chapter)

Hey guys, though it pains me to say this, there will be no more updates for "All About You" for the rest of February. We're close to the end of the fic now and I really want to tie the ending up nicely. I don't want to rush out chapters like I have been doing since university started just for the sake of sticking to my weekly update schedule. I'm really attached to this fic and I'm so happy with the love it's receiving, so I want to make sure my ending is well written.

I have a couple other fests I'm writing for and homework from uni is just a never ending curse. To be honest, I think I should probably take some time to myself as the internship search season will soon be upon me and frankly I don't think I've been in a very good mental state for a while now. But one of my classes will have concluded after February so hopefully my schedule will free up a bit. I hope you guys will understand.

Happy Lunar New Year! (and I'll be back before you know it!)

Stay safe guys,

~🌻


	8. Must Be Nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Mark gets a stern talking to from Sungchan, he decides to make his move.  
> Or...he tries to.

Mark should’ve known something was up when Sungchan bribed him with food to stay after practice and run extra drills.

But Mark figured he might as well start practicing some drills specific to forwards in preparation for next year. Plus Sungchan’s cooking was _really_ good.

“You know Hyuck really cares about you, right?” Sungchan said suddenly when they finally breaked for the evening. “I mean,” Sungchan continued as he ran a hand through his hair with a laugh. “I’ve never seen him get so angry in my life.”

Sungchan chugged the rest of his milk and tossed the carton into the trash can. He hooted and did a wobbly spin on one skate in celebration.

Mark hummed absently in response, too occupied with inhaling his noodles.

“He’s the best offense player on the ice. Outside the rink though, Hyuck’s a defender at heart. Sure, he doesn’t understand the concept of personal space and is crazy loud. But above all, he’s protective as hell.”

Sungchan patted Mark’s shoulder, eyes searching Mark’s face dubiously for any signs of insincerity. Sungchan smiled, “So don’t fxxx up.”

“Huh?” Mark was completely lost.

Sungchan crossed his arms over his chest. Oh sh1t. He meant business.

Mark began shoveling the noodles faster into his mouth, just in case Sungchan decided to revoke his meal for whatever reason.

“Listen here, Mark Lee. Hyuck...he’s one of my best friends.” Sungchan paused, like he was waiting for Mark to say something.

“Uh…” Mark replied intelligently.

Sungchan straightened his back, making himself impossibly taller. “The point is, I will absolutely _end_ you if you hurt him.”

Normally, Sungchan was very soft and smiley and overall a nice kid. But now, there was a burning sort of _something_ in his eyes. His stance was defensive and made Mark _very_ aware of the way Sungchan towered over him.

Needless to say, Mark was terrified.

“Oh-” Mark’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat. “We’re not….you know…”

This was evidently _not_ the right thing to say. Sungchan’s gaze intensified.

“...yet?” Mark tacked on at the end, practically shaking in his skates.

Suddenly, the door to the rink banged open.

“Hey Sungchan!” a cheerful voice called out.

Sungchan harrumphed and jabbed a finger at Mark. “This isn’t over.” And skated off.

As soon as he stepped out of the rink, Sungchan was tackled by a shorter boy brimming with energy. Mark watched as Sungchan grinned and leaned down to let the other boy wipe the sweat off his brow with a towel.

Mark sighed. Must be nice.

That evening, Mark returned home and spent an hour staring down at Donghyuck’s contact pulled up on his phone. He mulled over what Sungchan had said to him.

His thumb hovered over the dial button nervously.

Why had Sungchan said all that stuff to him?

Mark recalled the way Sungchan and the other boy had smiled cheerfully at each other. He remembered Sicheng making out with his boyfriend in the penalty box. And how Jeno’s hyper pink-haired friend had been draped all over the guy with a resting b1tch face next to him as they talked to Jeno after the game.

Mark thought about Donghyuck grasping onto his wrist as they crossed the street, their idle talks after morning practice sitting side-by-side on the wall of the rink, Donghyuck touching Mark’s waist, teaching him how to slapshot.

Mark smiled unconsciously.

He took a deep breath, and tapped on Donghyuck’s number before he could chicken out (again).

Donghyuck picked up on the first ring.

“Hey, what’s up?” Donghyuck’s voice crackled softly through the speaker. Mark felt his nerves skyrocket and he tried to get a grip on himself.

“Umm, can you come out real quick? I have something to ask you.”

Mark hung up before Donghyuck had the opportunity to reply. Fxxx.

Mark took more deep breaths as he waited for Donghyuck to clomp down his driveway and cross the street to where Mark was standing.

Deep breaths.

He could do this.

“What is it, Canada?”

Mark choked on air. Fxxx, he couldn’t do this.

Donghyuck seemed to give off a different glow under the moonlight. He was absolutely radiant. And Mark was absolutely panicking. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and scrambled for an excuse.

“I...uhhhhh. I was wondering…”

What the hell was he doing again?

”...if you wanted to go for a run.”

And Mark took off down the sidewalk.

“Fxxxing hell- I swear, Canada! You should’ve just told me. I wouldn’t have worn my crocs.” Nonetheless, Mark heard Donghyuck follow behind him.

Mark, being a goalie, didn’t have to zoom around the rink like the others. So naturally, his stamina was nothing compared to Donghyuck.

After jogging a single block, Donghyuck finally grew impatient and caught Mark’s arm. “Okay enough, Canada.”

He jerked them both to a stop. Mark bent over, palms on knees, heaving breaths. Damn, was he really this out of shape?

“I know you didn’t just call me out here because you suddenly wanted to get some cardio.”

Mark straightened and their eyes met. Donghyuck didn’t even look like he’d broken the sweat.

Donghyuck planted his hands on his hips.

“Canada, is it that hard to say that you’re sweet on me?”

Mark balked at this.

“You knew?” he asked, completely aghast.

Donghyuck rolled his eyes, “Not everyone can afford to be as dense as you are, Canada.”

Mark pouts, “How did you know?”

Donghyuck didn't answer, and instead he pulled Mark into his arms and rested his head comfortably over Mark’s shoulder.

Mark’s heart felt like it was beating out of his chest, like someone was whacking around a hockey puck inside him. And he gently put his arms around Donghyuck.

He heard Donghyuck laugh softly, his hands gripping onto the back of Mark’s shirt. “This is how I knew.”

Donghyuck turned his head and pressed a chaste kiss to Mark’s cheek.

“Oh okay then,” Mark breathed out and held Donghyuck closer.

Mark thought things would’ve changed more, now that he was in a relationship.

But nothing was really out of the ordinary. Other than the fact that Mark now consistently held hands with Donghyuck (no more of that wrist holding business) when they walked to the community rink every morning.

Coach had already told them that they didn’t need to do extra practices anymore since Mark was performing decently at their games now. But they both silently agreed that they enjoyed their time alone together in the mornings.

Yangyang’s teasing increased tenfold. And though the rest of the team hid it better, there was still the occasional smirk and waggling of brows whenever they caught Mark and Donghyuck in the locker room alone.

Coach said they better not get down to any funny business at practice otherwise he’d be forced to sit down and have _the talk_ with them. Mark wanted to point out how well that had gone with Sicheng, but he and Donghyuck readily promised to keep the PDA at Donghyuck’s normal level of touchiness.

Donghyuck was still ruthless with Mark when they ran drills together, but he was now there to stick pain relief patches on Mark’s sore shoulders after practices.

They sat side by side on the bench before games, tightening their laces, so close their legs touched. And when they headed out onto the ice, Donghyuck would give Mark’s hand a gentle squeeze before they parted ways.

When Mark had to polish the ice after practice, Donghyuck liked sitting on the ice resurfacer as Mark drove it around the rink. It probably wasn’t the safest thing in the world. But when Donghyuck was smiling at him like that, there was nothing Mark could do about it.

And of course, there was the occasional “atrocity of public romancing” (Ten’s words, not Mark’s).

Donghyuck skated up Mark while they were doing a few laps around the rink for warm up. He gave Mark a quick peck on the cheek before skating off again. Mark froze, stupid smile on his face, and promptly slammed into the wall of the rink.

The team groaned in unison.

Coach blew his whistle at them angrily.

And the rest of the game season passed without a hitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hihi~  
> It's been a while, but I'm back with an update. And markhyuck is finally together!! 🥳  
> This is technically the last official chapter, but I'll be back next week with an extra 'afterword' chapter 😙  
> Thank you for everyone's support and thank you for the sweet comments some of y'all sent me, I'm doing a lot better now :))  
> ~🌻


	9. Epilogue - Upside Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The school year was ending, but the two of them were just getting started.

The whole team attended Ten and Sicheng’s graduation. And everyone was surprised to see Coach show up in a neat collared shirt rather than his normal tracksuit attire.

Coach bawled like a baby when Sicheng went to accept his diploma, but had his eyes dried by the time Ten was crossing the stage to receive his and cheered along with the rest of the team.

Yangyang had gotten his leg brace removed for a few months now and was fully recovered from his initial injury. After the ceremony, he ran and leapt into Ten’s arms, excitedly waving the flowers he’d brought for the seniors. The jostling knocked Ten’s graduation cap to the ground as he struggled to hold Yangyang upright.

They all took pictures together in front of the convention hall where the ceremony was held and split afterwards, making plans to go to dinner later in the week.

“Hey Canada,” Donghyuck said as they walked hand-in-hand to the car Mark had borrowed from his parents for the day. Mark hemmed in response, searching through his pockets for the car keys.

“Wanna go for a skate?”

Mark laughed, “So eager to practice for the next season already?”

Donghyuck smiled, chipped tooth and all. “Yeah, something like that.”

They didn’t bother putting on anything protective equipment, since (for once) they weren’t running drills. And Mark was glad for it as there was no helmet or visor blocking Donghyuck’s pretty face from his view.

“Sweet, naive Canada,” Donghyuck swiveled so he was now slowly skating backwards, facing Mark. “Did you really think I brought you here to practice?”

Mark was unashamed to say he was a fool, but he wasn’t _that_ stupid. He had an inkling where this was going.

Donghyuck suddenly skidded to a stop and Mark quickly turned his left skate to brake as well.

In the brief moment Mark glanced down to watch the thin spray of ice dust over their skates, Donghyuck had already invited himself into Mark’s personal space. Donghyuck slid a hand up Mark’s jaw and leaned in slowly, giving Mark the chance to pull away if he desired.

Mark didn’t move.

Their lips touched for only a brief moment before Donghyuck was pulling back, big smile on his face. Mark’s knees went weak. He took a trembling step forward, craving more, and forgetting he was on ice. His skates wiped out beneath him.

Mark groaned as his head made an unfortunate thunk against the ice. Donghyuck’s concerned face pulled into view upside down in Mark’s line of sight. And Mark felt as if his entire world had been turned upside down as well.

“Hey Canada, you alright there buddy?”

Mark grunted and pushed himself up into a sitting position. “Please don’t call me ‘buddy’ ever again.”

Donghyuck laughed and held out his hands. Mark gratefully grasped them and allowed himself to be pulled up. He stumbled, and felt Donghyuck reach out and hold his waist to steady him.

Mark sidled closer on his skates.

Donghyuck skated a few steps back. “What are you tryna do, Canada?” he asked teasingly.

Mark skated forward.

Donghyuck skated back.

Forward and back. Forward and back.

Until Donghyuck’s back bumped against the wall of the rink and Mark placed his hands on either side of Donghyuck’s head.

Mark blushed feverishly at his own bold actions.

Donghyuck tugged on the front of Mark's jacket. Expectant.

Mark felt his skates slide forward obediently, and he closed the remaining distance between them himself.

Mark’s hands had a mind of their own. They went from being pressed against the rink wall, to gripping Donghyuck’s arms, to cradling the back of Donghyuck’s neck as their lips moved against each other. His whole head was empty except for the thoughts of _Hyuck, Hyuck, Hyuck_.

Mark couldn’t believe he’d wasted so much of the year avoiding Donghyuck’s touch. Now, he couldn’t get enough of it.

Without breaking the kiss, Donghyuck pulled Mark’s fiddling hands away from his hair and guided them to hold his waist.

Mark briefly recalled the time Donghyuck taught him how to hold the stick when attempting a slapshot across the rink, and thought about how now Donghyuck is teaching Mark how to hold _him_ properly.

Mark could feel the toned muscles of Donghyuck’s sides tense and relax under his hands as they kissed slow and sweet, not a hurry in the world. And when Mark’s tongue brushed against the rough edge of Donghyuck’s chipped tooth, he just about lost his mind right there.

After a while, Donghyuck pulled away breathlessly.

“Hey Canada, wanna continue this is the Sin Bin?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap~
> 
> Thank you guys so much for reading my fic and giving me kudos/comments 💖 I couldn't have finished this fic without you guys. This fic was so self-indulgent and great fun to write. And I definitely want to add to this AU in the future :D
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this ending 😗  
> ~🌻 iwi


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